The Real Gwendy Gabelein
Gwendy Gabelein is trying to hide something from South Whidbey School District voters: she's a far-right Republican with extreme plans for our schools and our kids. The version of Gwendy you see on her signs, website, and social media sounds reasonable enough, but the truth is quite different.
Simply put, Gabelein's campaign language is a smokescreen. We looked closely at her social posts, record in the community, her supporters, and her actions in the lead-up to declaring her run for school board. We found that her support for far-right ideology and policies is crystal clear. At Pro-Choice Island County, we believe voters deserve to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about Gabelein.
So Here's What We Found*
Caving to the Trump Administration
November 2024
Shortly after the November 2024 election, Gwendy shared a post which advocated that schools "shift away from 'woke' ideologies," from a MAGA Facebook account, "Impeach Joe Biden," that promotes inflammatory misinformation about public education.
February 2025
Then, when the Trump Administration began to target public schools and try to take away our students' freedom to learn in February 2025, Gwendy attacked the South Whidbey School Board for discussing ways to help protect students and ensure that our schools protect freedom in education from the Trump Administration.
Gwendy, and extreme MAGA figure Stina Wilson/Wenzek, who co-organized the far-right school board recruitment campaign with Gwendy in the spring of 2025, discussed their critique on Facebook.
March 2025
When the South Whidbey School Board discussed a blatantly discriminatory anti-trans policy on athletics, Gwendy attacked our Superintendent for doing her job, criticized the school board, and urged them to cave to the Trump Administration's threats. Gwendy made it very clear that her support for students ends when federal threats come in. Instead of standing up for what's right, Gwendy thinks our school leaders should surrender in advance.
Student Privacy and Safety
May 2025
Gwendy reposted a far-right GOP post opposing HB 1296, the common-sense legislation to protect the freedom to learn in public schools, and amplified far-right misinformation on this issue. HB 1296 was signed by Governor Bob Ferguson in response to far-right billionaire Brian Heywood's hateful and regressive campaign to stifle our students' freedom to learn. As of September 2025, Heywood continues his campaign to try to divide our communities by amplifying misinformation on trans rights, multi-cultural education, and other topics that the Trump Administration is using to target the freedom to learn in public schools.
Who supports Gwendy?
At the time we're writing this, less than a month before election day, Gwendy has no endorsements posted to her website or Facebook, and appears to lack any form of support from moderate members of the community. Her primary supporter, and co-organizer of her recruitment meetings, is Stina Wenzek (Wilson), the extreme MAGA Republican discussed above. By way of contrast, Ann Johnson, the incumbent candidate in the race, has over a dozen endorsements posted to her website, from community members, elected officials, civic groups, and small business owners.
Two independent community leaders, school board member and SWSD parent Marnie Jackson and SWSD grandparent Charlene Davenport, attended the meetings Gwendy organized in the spring of 2025 to understand her agenda and plans for our schools, since she signaled she would run for school board. Each wrote a letter to the editor of the South Whidbey Record describing the far-right campaign Gwendy put together to support her run. Jackson described the meeting:
Dismisses Student Voices
At a candidate forum on September 19 2025, in response to an overtly racist and homophobic question from the audience about the stolen Pride and Black Lives Matter banners at the High School, Gwendy said she had
lobbied the new Superintendent not to replace the banners, calling them "divisive." In an
October 7 Facebook post, she re-iterated that these banners,
which students chose, are divisive and called for banners on "unity" - without specifying what unity means. Evidently her version of "unity" does not include supporting student leadership and voice, or ensuring accountability for those who would try to silence our community by stealing public property.
Opposes the school bond and spreads misinformation about school financing
In
a recent Facebook post, Gwendy admits
"I voted against the [2023 school] bond" that our community overwhelmingly supported. She once again throws out misinformation, this time equating financing for SWSD with the Oak Harbor School District's capital campaign, which was directly funded by the state and federal governments because of the Navy base in Oak Harbor.
Gwendy only names the
one Republican elected official who helped with this project, never the many elected Democrats who also contributed. Once again Gwendy shares half-truths and false comparisons. Basic googling would have told Gwendy that
Oak Harbor received a government grant due to the Naval Base.
In truth, a bond is the only mechanism for South Whidbey to finance long-term infrastructure and safety projects such as the new roof and siding for the Middle/High School. A school board candidate who lacks a basic understanding of public school financing is unacceptable, especially in these times of attacks on our funding and schools from Washington, D.C.
Conclusion
A school board candidate should be transparent, and should reflect the values of the community they wish to represent. Gwendy Gabelein is NOT that candidate. She has not been forthcoming about her views, and when she is, they are completely out of step with the values of the vast majority of South Whidbey residents. And so we felt compelled to share her own words and actions with voters, so you can make an informed decision.